Box-making machine



C. D. KNOWLTON BOX-MAKING MACHINE July 7, 1942.

Filed April 5, 1940 a Sheets-Sheet 1 7, 1942- c. D. KNOWLTON 2,233,720

BOX-MAKING MACHINE Filed April '5, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 7, 1942. c. D. KNOWLTON BOX-MAKING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX-MAKING MACHINE Cutler D. Knowlton, Beverly, Masa, assignor to Hoague-Sprague Corporation, Lynn, Mass, at v corporation of Massachusetts Application April 5, 1940, Serial No. 328,061

12 Claims. '(CI. 91-50) roll, and in a guide close to the end face of the The present invention relates to a machine for applying an adhesive, for example, glue, to box blanks, of the type fully disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,186,977, granted January 16, 1940, on an application filed in my name, and .is directed particularly to an im-' proved construction thereof adapted to protect the glue used therein from the drying influence of the air.

In the manufacture of boxes as accomplished by the machine of the aforesaid United States Letters Patent a very rapid drying glue is employed in order to insure proper adhesion of the end-wings of the box to the corner-laps during the short time the operator holds the box in contact with the box-forming elements of the machine. Because of the quick-drying properties of the glue, it dies rapidly on the applying rolls and accumulatesthereon in a very short time to such an extent that the machine is rendered inoperative.

It is an object of the present invention to modify the aforesaid machine in such a manner that the glue carrying rolls'and the means for supplying glue thereto are substantially protected from exposure to air.

The glue is applied to the end-wings of the illustrated box by a glue roll which is supplied with a quantity of glue in excess of that required from a glue receptacle, the amount carried by the roll being governed by a co-operating doctor roll. A feature of the invention resides in means for returning the excess glue to the glue receptacle whileprotecting the glue from the air, and this is effected in the present machine by enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the applying roll in a housing, the housing being'arranged to extend from the lower side of the doctor roll to the glue receptacle whereby the excess glue is drained back to the glue receptacle.

Further features of the invention reside in means for supporting the applying roll from one end only so that the box blank may be held close to that end without the interference of a projecting shaft or bearing therefor, in means for supplying the glue to the rolls which, as illustrated herein, is accomplished by delivering the glue through a nozzle, the open end of which is inclined toward the surface of the doctor roll close to the bite of the rolls'so as to project the glue onto the surface of the doctor roll substantially at the bite of the rolls and midway applying roll for guiding the end-wing of the box.

The glue receptacle employed in this machine is a bottle, the mouth of which is held in contact with the return end of the extension of the aforesaid housing. When the glue is exhausted from the glue bottle, it is necessary to refill the bottle, and another feature of the invention resides in a quick release clamp arranged to hold the bottle securely in place and by one movement to release it so that it may be readily removed and replaced. As illustrated herein, the aforesaid clamp com-. prises a horizontal arm-which extends beneath the bottom of the bottle, a support for the arm, and a cam operable to raise and lower the arm.

The machine of the present invention will now be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a-perspective with the cover I2 removed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a box blank;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, as seen from from the left end of the machine in Fig. l; and I Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the line IVIV of Fig. 3. I

Without describing the construction and operation of the machine as a whole. since it is adequately covered in the aforementioned patent, it is suflicient to point out that one of the instrumentalities of that machine with which the present invention is concerned is the means for applying glue to a box blank IiLiIlustrated in Fig. 2, having opposite side-wings i2, cornerlaps i4, and end-wings l6. In the present machine, as in the patent machine, the gluing means comprises a glue applying roll l8 and a presser roll 20 co-operating therewith to hold the extended end-wing it of the box l0 against the glue roll. In order to hold the box in proper position, a table 22 is provided which extends along the end of the glue roll and on which the edges of the side-wings I2 of the partially formed box (Fig. 2) may be rested during the movement of the box past the unobstructed end face of the applying roll, as the end-wing I6 is passed be-- tween the glue applying roll and presser roll.

view of the machine The table is adjustably supported on columns 24 between their ends, whereby the doctor rollso that it may be raised or lowered according to the depth of the side-wings [2.

The rolls l8 and 20 aresupported from one end only upon' driven shafts extending from a gear casing 26 which is bolted to a base 28 supported from the floor by legs 30. The columns 24 1 sleeves 26 manually rotatable in the base 26 to raise or lower the table 22, as described in the patented machine. A wall 36 (Fig. 1) extends from the forward end of the table 22 along the rear edge thereof between it and the end of the glue roll, the top edge of the wall lying slightly below the top ofthe glue roll l6 (Fig. 3). The

wall 66 serves as a guard for the comer-laps l4 and a guide for the end-wing l6 of the box as it is moved along the table 22 and is fixed by means of brackets 46 to the arms 32. The extrance of the end-wings into the space between the glue and presser rolls is facilitated by inclined guide members 42 and 44 fixed to the gear casing (Fig. 1).

In the patented machine a pick-up roll is provided, the lower portion of which dips in a glue tray for lifting glue therefrom to the surface of the applying roll. In the present machine a doctor roll 46 similar to the aforesaid pick-up roll is employed for spreading glue over the surface of the applying roll, but the glue tray has been re moved and a nozzle 46 substituted therefor. The nozzle 46 is disposed adjacent to the bite of the rolls (Fig. 3) and midway between the ends of the rolls (Fig. 4) so that it delivers glue onto the upgoing surface of the roll 46 close to the .bite of the rolls. In order that glue may be delivered at the most advantageous point on the doctor roll, which may vary somewhat with the viscosity of the glue, the nozzle is adjustably supported at the upper end of a pipe 50 by an elbow 62 so that its position relative to the surface of the doctor roll may be changed slightly. The lower end of the pipe 50 is threaded into the discharge side of a pump 54 and a hand operated valve 56 is interposed in the pipe between the pump and'the nozzle'by which the quantity of glue delivered to the nozzle may be controlled. The valve is set so that somewhat more glue than is required is delivered to the roll 46 and is carried up thereby into contact with the applying roll l6, which turns in a direction opposite to the roll 46. Since only a small part of the glue can pass between the rolls, the greater part thereof spreads laterally toward the ends of the rolls and forms an even coating over the entire surface of the roll l6, the excess glue being squeezed back so that it runs down the'surface of the roll 46 and drops from the bottom thereof.

Scrapers 4|, one of which is shown in Fig. 3, are provided at the ends of the rolls l6 and 46 for cleaning the glue therefrom. The scraper 4|, as illustrated, constitutes a flange on the inside of a housing which will be described hereinafter, the edge of the flange being machined to substantially engage the ends of the rolls. The eflective scraping surface overlaps the ends of both rolls at their bite, said surface lying on lines passing through the axes of the rolls. The lower portion 46 of the scraper extendsbackward to provide a convex deflector which carries the glue scraped off by the portion 4| downwardly toward the bottom of the housing. In.

order to relieve any pressure caused by accumulation of glue between the scrapers and the ends of the roll 46, the scrapers are cut back from the ends of the roll 46 along the convex portions 43.

Since the glue employed dries very quickly, it

is desirable to protect it from the air as much as possible and to return the excess glue to the glue supply for reuse. In the present machine, the glue is contained in a bottle 66 and is drawn therefrom through a pipe 60, one end of which extends to the bottom of the bottle and the other end of which is connected to the aforesaid pump 64 and delivered by the pump through the nozzle 46 to the bite of the rolls. In order to protect the excess glue which\runs down the doctor roll 46, and that which is cl eared from the ends of the rolls, from the air as much as possible, a housing 62 is provided for enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the applying roll.

The housing 62 includes end walls made up of overlapping sections 64 and 66 (Fig. 3). The top and vertical edges of the walls are provided with inwardly directed flanges 66 and 16 (Fig. 1) which serve in part to form the front and the back walls and the top of the housing. The flanges 66 at the top of the end walls are extended so that they closely fit about the ends of the roll I8. The housing is completed by front and back cover platw l2 and I4 arranged to be held against the flanges 10. The walls of the housing are provided with flanges 16 at their base by which the walls are bolted to a flange I6 formed on the upper edge of a funnel-shaped hopper 60 to be hereinafter described. The front and back cover plates are provided with lugs 82 at their lower ends extending at right angles thereto adapted to reston the flange 16 whereby these plates are supported. In order to quickly locate the plates,

pins 64 are fixed in the ends of the lugs, the lower end of the pins being adapted to rest in apertures 66 formed in the flange. The rear plate 14 extends only part way up the housing (Fig. 3). The opening above the rear plate 14 is left uncovered to permit an unobstructed view of the condition existing at the bite of the rolls so that prompt adjustments may be made in the event that there is too much or too little glue being delivered to the rolls. The front plate 12 is extended upwardly above the top of the housing to a point closely adjacent to the lower guide 44, the plate 12 having inwardly extending flanges 60 which substantially .enclose the front side of the applying roll. the back plate access may be had to the glue rolls. In Fig. 1 the front plate 12 has been omitted in order to show the glue rolls. The sections 64 of the side walls have formed integral therewith the aforesaid scrapers 4|. It is apparent from the construction of the housing that it can be readily disassembled, if necessary, without disturbing the glue rolls, by removing the cover plates and unbolting the side walls from the hopper.

The aforesaid funnel-shaped hopper 66 has a lower portion which extends laterally in the form of a'conduit or passage 92 to a point adjacent to the mouth of the glue bottle 58. The hopper 60 is supported from its under side by a pedestal 94 bolted to the base 26, and the end of the lateral extension, which terminates in a flange 96 having ears 96 (Fig. l) projecting therefrom, is secured by means of bolts passing through said ears over a semicircular opening formed at the edge of the base 28 so as to hold the hopper rigidly in place. The passage 92 is provided with an opening I00 (Fig. 4) in its upper wall which is covered by a plate I02 by which access may be had to the interior of the extension, and an aperture I04 is formed in the lower wall of the extension adiacentto its end By removing either the front plate or,

for the admission of the pipe 68 into the of the bottle 58.

In order to facilitate centering the mouth of the bottle 58 with the flanged end of the extension prior to clamping the bottle in engagement therewith and to prevent damage thereto, anannular metal disk I88 (Fig. 4) having a mouth downwardly extending flange and a corresponding underlying felt disk I88 are secured to the flange 86 by a ring IIO bolted to the flange. The bottle is held from lateral displacement by a band II2 which embraces the outer portion of the bottle and holds it in the semicircular opening formed in the base 28 (Fig. 1), the band being bolted to the base at each side of the opening. A felt lining I is secured to the'inside of the band and to the semicircular opening to protect the bottle from accidental breakage by careless insertion or removal, and springs IIG are disposed behind the bottle to hold it firmly against the band so that it will not move with respect thereto. 'The bottle is supported by ature formed in the base 28 by a set screw I26.

A cam I28 is pivotally mounted on the bracket I22 and bears against the upper surface of a block I38 flxed to the lower end of'the post I24. A handle I32 is formed integral with the cam and provides means for turning the cam so as to raise and lower the armII8. After the arm has been lowered it must be moved radially to one side to permit the bottle to be lowered so that its neck clears the band II2. A pin II8 is passed through the post I24 with its ends projecting on opposite sides thereof far enough to limit the radial movement of the bracket I22 in either direction about the post. As located, the pin serves 'as a combined stop and centering means, the inner end of the pin, as seen in Fig. 4,

serving to center the arm II8 beneath the flange I I88.

The pump 54 is ofthe conventional gear type and is driven by a sprocket I34 and chain I36, the pump being boltedto the base 28.

From the description of the improved machine, it is apparent that the glue is drawn from the bottle 68 through the pipe 68 by the pump 54 and delivered from the pump through the pipe 50 to the nozzle 48. The glue projected upon the doctor roll 46 is in part distributed in an even coating over the surface of the applying roll, that part of the glue being carried above the housing into contact with the end-wing of the box while the remaining excess glue is squeezed from the bite of the rolls and runs down, together with the glue scraped from the ends of the rolls, into the funnel-shaped hopper 88.

. From there the glue runs down the passage 82 and into the bottle 58 so that the unused glue is to the air and, therefore, undeteriorated.

At the end of the day the machine may be quickly cleaned by removing the glue bottle and replacing it with a bottle of water. The machine is then set in operation and with the hand valve wide open the water is pumped through the bottle through the passage 82 of the hopper, thereby: thoroughly washing all parts exposed to the glue. One or two bottles of clean water in ordinarily keep the machine free of any 5 ccumulation of glue with the minimum amount of efiort on the part of the operator.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to sec e by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. I In amachine for applying adhesive, such as glue, to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll co-operating therewith to regulate the quantity of glue on said applying roll, a demountable glue receptacle remote from said rolls, means for delivering glue from the receptacle t0 the bite of the rolls, and means for returning the excess glue at the bite of the rolls to the glue receptacle comprising a housing enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the applying roll, a portion of said housing being adapted to be connected with the glue receptacle.

2. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctorroll co-operating therewith to remove the excess glue from the applyingroll, a glue receptacle. means for delivering glue in excess of that required from the receptacle to the bite of the rolls, and means for returning the excess glue at the bite of the rolls to the glue receptacle comprising a housing enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the applying roll, and a downwardly extending conduit fixed to thebottom of said housing, the lower end of the conduit being adapted for clamping engagement with the glue receptacle.

3. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll co-op- I erating therewith to remove the excess glue from the applying roll, a glue receptacle, means for delivering glue in excess of that required from the receptacle to the bite of the rolls, and means for returning the excess glue at the bite of the rolls to the glue receptacle comprising a housing enclosing the doctor roll, said housing having "an aperture in its top wall through which the applying roll projects and being open at the bottom, and an extension mounted at the bottom delivering glue from the receptacle to the bite of retumed for further use substantially unexposed v the rolls, a housing arranged to enclose the doctor roll, a portion of the applying roll and the glue delivering'means, said housing supporting said receptacle and havingend walls, and flanges extending inwardly from said end walls, said flanges havin edges substantially touching the ends of the applying roll and the doctor roll at their bite whereby the glue at the ends of the rolls is scraped therefrom and directed to the glue receptacle.

5. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, means for support- 1 ing said applying roll from one end only with its topside exposed and its opposite end face unobstructed, a guide for the box blank close to said unobstructed end face of the applying roll, a doctor roll disposed below said applying roll and co-operating therewith, and a nozzle for delivering glue to the doctor roll, said nozzle being positioned adjacent to the bite of the rolls midway between their ends with its delivery end adnozzle over the glue rolls and flows back to the 1| jacent to the surface of the doctor roll in advance of the bite of said rolls whereby the glue is deposited on the surface of the doctor roll and carried upwardly into, contact with the glue applying roll.

6. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, an applying roll, a, glue receptacle comprising a bottle. having a mouth, means for deporting the arm, a spindle upon which the bracketis mounted for vertical movement, a cam pivoted to the bracket, said cam having fixed thereto an operating handle and a block fixed to the spindle, said cam bearing against the block whereby movement of the handle will raise or ,lower the arm.

'1. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll cooperating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls, and means for substantially enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the glue applying roll comprising a hoppershaped receptacle disposed below the doctor roll, end walls fixed to said receptacle opposite the ends of said roll, said end walls having inwardly directed flanges, and cover plates adapted to be supported at their lower edges by, the hopper and to rest against the inwardly directed flanges of the end walls.

8. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll disposed below said applying roll and co-operating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls, and means for substantially enclosing the doctor roll and that portion of the glue applying roll below its axis comprising a hopper-shaped receptacle disposed below the doctor roll, end walls mounted on said receptacle having vertical edge portions, said end walls being -composed of overlapping sections independently fixed to said receptacle, each section being removable therefrom without disturbing any other section, and cover plates adapted to be supported at their lower edges by the hopper and to rest against the vertical edge portions of the end walls. I

9. In a machine for applying-glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll disposed below said applying roll and co-operating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls,

having vertical edge portions, fixed to said receptacle opposite the ends of said rolls, and cover plates adapted to be supported at their lower edges by the hopper and to rest against the edge portions of the end walls, one of said cover plates extending above the end walls opposite the cylindrical face of the glue applying roll, said plate having inwardly directed flanges at its opposite edges overlapping the ends of the glue applying roll and partially enclosing the same.

10. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll cooperating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls, and means for substantially enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the glue applying roll comprising a hoppershaped receptacle disposed below the doctor roll having a flange at its upper edge, end walls fixed to the flange of the receptacle opposite the ends of said roll, cover plates constructed and arranged to be held against the edge portions of the end walls, and means for supporting said cover plates comprising lugs fixed to the bottom edges of said plates, said lugs being adapted to rest on said flange, pins fixed to said lugs, and recesses formed in said flange for receiving the ends of said pins.

11. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll cooperating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls, and means for substantially enclosing the doctor roll and the lower portion of the glue applying roll comprising a hoppershaped receptacle disposed below the doctor roll, end walls fixed to said receptacle opposite the end of said roll, cover plates adapted to rest against the edge Portions of said end walls to complete the enclosure, and scrapers associated with said end walls, said scrapers extending across the ends of said rolls at the bite thereof.

12. In a machine for applying glue to box blanks, a glue applying roll, a doctor roll c0- operating therewith, means for delivering glue to said rolls, and means for substantially enclosing the applying roll comprising a hoppershaped member disposed below the doctor roll,

walls at the ends of the rolls composed of overlapping sections fixed to the hopper, a scraper formed integral with a corresponding section of each end wall, and front and back cover plates adapted to rest on said hopper against the edge portions of the walls, said sections having the scrapers integral therewith being removable without disturbing the rolls or the remaining sections of the end walls.

CUTLER D. KNOWLTON. 

